Police Inspector Attempted To Shoot Abolurin, Others Over Pipeline Vandals Arrest – NSCDC

NSCDC DGThe Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, on Friday, alleged that a policeman attempted to shoot its Commandant-General, Dr. Ade Abolurin, and other security officers and officials from the Attorney-General’s office, who were on an inspection tour of items seized from oil pipeline vandals at Ikorodu, Lagos.

The NSCDC Public Relations Officer, Emma Okeh, in a statement in Abuja, alleged that Abolurin was in company of other personnel from the Nigerian Army, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and others when a suspected Police Inspector attempted to open fire on them.

Okeh said that Abolurin, who is the Chairman of a committee on pipeline vandalism constituted by the Attorney General, were inspecting items seized from some vandals when a police team led by the unidentified Inspector threatened to gun them down.

According to the spokesman, the aim of the police team was to frustrate the work of the committee members.

He said, “The attack was orchestrated by the arrest of some suspected vandals and oil thieves in possession of petroleum products in several jerry cans, including two big Cotonou boats.

“The suspected police team who came in an unmarked danfo bus carrying AK47 riffles challenged the CG that they are in charge, so, he has no right to visit the area because it belongs to the police.

“It is however unclear if the suspected officer was working on a written script by a superior authority or just acting in his own capacity as a vandal in uniform. What is however clear is that, this is the umpteenth time that officers and men of the corps has been brazenly harassed, molested, assassinated or maimed by officers of the Nigeria police in recent time in the cause of carrying out their legitimate assignments.

“Still fresh in our memory is the killing of two men of the anti-vandal squad of the Lagos state command of NSCDC namely AIC Gabriel Adaji and IC Innocent Akegbe by the police in 2013.

“The Act establishing the NSCDC is unequivocal in its as­signment of the duty of protection of critical infrastructure of gov­ernment and national assets to the corps with tremendous record of achievement by the organization as evident in the various arrest of van­dals in different parts of the country and prosecution of same to serve as deterrent to others and to ensure that Mr. President’s effort at in ensuring that life becomes more meaningful for Nigerians through the provision of basic amenities such as unfet­tered supply of petroleum products, uninterrupted power supply among others is actualized”, Okeh said.